All Through the House

 It is a busy week here...as it is in most homes at the moment....and there is sooo much to think about and so many lists to make and keep checking.......i ran around the house with my camera, taking pictures here and there of the decorations ......the mantel above is in the lounge, which is painted in pale colours......

 .....the year it was painted i bought lots of pastel coloured tree decorations and we add a new one now and then....the look is frosty and icy and the tree has white lights...it looks pretty at night when the old glass ware i keep in that room reflects the lights and the candles, and when the log fire is lit in there.....

 ....as i have mentioned (many times) before, i love red and white decorations, and red and white textiles too...the whole Scandinavian look has been my favourite for a long time and this year the dining room dresser has a lot of red and white along with the usual simple white china that i keep there.......

.....and the sitting room is where we have the red and white decorated tree, ( the merry hearts red and white felt decorations always hang on this tree too)....last year i made a new mushroom merry heart but so far this year i haven't had a moment to make another but i might yet....

 ....lots of baking plans going on in the kitchen..... and i have been enjoying this wonderful book.... Bake & Decorate.... which was suggested to me by the lovely Madelief who kindly thought i would enjoy it, and indeed i do...it has so many lovely decorating ideas for all the seasons, including some charming xmas ones.....

.....and here are some sweet new tiny red and white baubles ready to go on a very small tree.....i hope to show you some more Christmas pictures very soon....
Thank you for popping in to see my Christmas house.....and thank you for taking time to read and comment when things are so very busy.......i hope you are enjoying the countdown to Christmas and finding time to relax and enjoy it all too......have a cheery cosy week....back soon xxxxxx

Candy Canes and Winter Wishes

 It's a cold and wintry day here, with winds howling around the house and occasional showers of sleety rain rattling on the windows...definitely a day to be indoors and enjoy the cosy warmth of home.......

 ....we have had a lovely weekend filled with happy family times celebrating both Mr P's birthday, and the xmas season generally....(if we had Thanksgiving over here in the uk i think that's how i'd  like to celebrate  it)...being thankful for having a lovely family (ages ranging from eighty eight  down to eighteen months) and a cosy home for everyone to spend time in together...

 .....we decorated the house with lots of traditional decorations from years gone by, and lots of candy canes this year...more than ever.... of course some of us like eating them so we do need a lot ;-)....

 The food and cakes were all eaten up and all the help i had from my mother and daughters made it very easy...little Daisy Dot spent all the time trotting about, or dancing on tip toe, in her tiny pink sparkly party shoes (when she wasn't being cuddled by everyone that is)... and Charlie is soooo excited about the whole coming Christmas experience it's so lovely to recapture a little of that magic through their eyes.....

We have cleared up today and now i have a moment to pop in to blogland to write this post and to visit some of you too....and don't forget that the giveaway is still open until next thursday.....
Thank you so much for your lovely comments on my last post and all the happy birthday wishes for Mr P, he was thrilled........
.........I wish you a wonderful week, filled with good times, cosy days, and a few sweet treats as well....this week i'll be taking pictures of my merry wishes quilt and some other projects too....so i'll be back with them  very soon....keep cosy xxxxxxxxxx

Making Time

 First of all today I want to say thank you so much to everyone who has entered my woodland winter giveaway in my last post, and all your kind and delightful comments....the giveaway will be open until december 8, so there is still time to enter if you've missed it.....and one of the nice things about it is i've discovered lots more blogs to visit, read and enjoy!......

 Today's pctures are from the rather festive looking potting shed, where i've been spending a little time making some xmas decorations with a woodlandy, greenery kind of feel.....

 .....this week is the lovely Mr P's birthday week and we have already been celebrating rather a lot....and at the weekend we'll be having a family party, so i wanted to put up the decorations a bit earlier than usual this year...............

 ......as well as making decorations i've been cooking....and my mother is also baking....and both my daughters are cooking and baking too.... so we will have lots of delicous food and of course plenty of cake...

 ......there are still flowers in the garden but now i'm going more for the foliage and some berries both real and not so real......the picture below shows the geraniums bright blooms which greeted me when i opened the potting shed door......such a vivid fanfare of colour that i really wasn't expecting!

 ........next week i'll be planting up some pots of bulbs as presents, when i've finished the decorations..

 ......here is one of the toadstool tealights, the same as the one in the giveaway....it's fun finding suitable containers for them and this one seemed ideal.....the glass lantern hangs up and looks very pretty.....

                                     ........a sweet little holly topped cake or two to help the work along.....

......and now i'm going to make some more top secret things, and hopefully put the finishing stitches into my new quilt....and clean my house, decorate the trees ready for the birthday/christmassy party....cook a little more....bake a little more.....and enjoy the week a lot.. I hope you are having a wonderful week too with lots of making time and happy cosy days and evenings.....back soon xxxxxx

Merry Hearts

 Hello! I hope you like the title of my post today! Here are some of my merry felt hearts. I made these quite a few years ago, inspired by the shaker shop which had some wonderful decorations that year. I made a set for our tree, and then I liked making them so much I kept on making them and gave them as an extra with most presents, tucked inside as a surprise. I even gave one to an acquaintance who probably wondered what it was!!

 I loved stitching and embroidering the felt, and some day I will do lots of things made from it when I have more time. The little feather trees were made with a tiny applique fabric pot. It was one of the most fun decorations I've made! The next picture shows one heart hanging on the kitchen cupboard, but soon I'll show you them all hanging on our tree!

 Today I got a lot done - some designing, some thinking about designing (which also counts as work of course, in my job), some cleaning and tidying, and some present wrapping and not just tiny easy ones too! I would show you the growing pile but it's too dark now, so maybe tomorrow? And here are a few more quick and easy gift tags made from scraps - I love it when nothing goes to waste and you get some little handmade extras too...

So I have a very merry heart today and I do hope you do too! It may be freezing outside, but it's lovely to be cosy indoors and busy crafting. I've also been knitting a bit today and sewing a sweet cuddly creature which I will be showing you very soon... Keep warm and snug, and thank you for popping by and for your sweet comments.Back soon. xx